Nature Photo Show at LBCC

"Action" in nature is the theme for the 30th annual Bob Ross Open Invitational Nature Photography Show on Friday, Nov. 13, at Linn-Benton Community College.

Nature photographers from throughout the Willamette Valley gather each year at LBCC to "celebrate nature and share their experiences, techniques, favorite places and things to see," according to a news release from the LBCC News Service. The show begins at 7 p.m. in the Forum building, Room F-104.

Those who plan to show photos are asked to limit their submission to 20 digital images. They should be sent to Ross several days before the event. His e-mail is rosspix@comcast.net. For more information, call him at 541-928-3711.

This non-juried show is free, and visitors don't have to show photographs to attend.

LBCC is at 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W. in Albany.

(Photo credit: "Common Barn Owl" by Adventures in Librarianship, courtesy of Flickr.com/Creative Commons)

Another Take on Time Management

In my continuing quest to aid all those who are trying to cram 36 hours of life into a 24-hour day, I encourage you to read a new post by Amber Nasland on her social media blog called Altitude. Her focus: "Social Media Time Management: Nine Guiding Principles."

When it comes to managing your time, she notes at the outset, "It’s a balancing act. And ultimately, you’re in the driver’s seat."

Her first gear is managing disruptions: "Pick three things that you have to get done today, and focus relentlessly on those. (Hint: they should always be tied into your bigger picture goals, or you’re wasting time)."

Control information overoad, she continues, and make use of those tools that can save you a lot of time, such as WordPress for blogging or Google Reader to streamline your reading.

If you're in a situation at work or some other circumstance in which you find yourself answering the same e-mail question over and over, Nasland suggests creating a "template" that you can use to cut and paste common responses. Or set up a link to answers for a set of frequently asked questions. I like that one.

And when you don't have the answer, she says "communicate expectations." If you can't get to something for a day or two, say so, or refer people to somebody else who may be able to help.

But my two favorites are the last on her list: 8. Establish routines; and 9. Unplug:

If you set aside specific hours in your day, turn off other distractions. (Yes, it’s okay to close your e-mail program). Put your phone on Do Not Disturb or let it go to voicemail. Even 30 minutes of focused time on a single task, on a regular basis can ramp up your productivity.

and

Get offline. Go outside. Take a bath. Play with your kid. Go to the movies. Or go to an in-person event or Tweetup. There is nothing that will derail your social media efforts more than never walking away from them.

We all need to break from time to time ...

-rp-

(Photo credit: "Time Flies..." by kamera.obskura, courtesy of Flickr.com/Creative Commons)

Class Assignment: Seth Godin and Standing Out

Recently students in my News Reporting class practiced taking notes and writing a speech story. Their speaker was marketing maven Seth Godin, and the speech was a talk he gave way back in 2003 at a conference sponsored by TED - Technology, Education, Design.

The talk is about standing out, being remarkable, and the topic is every bit as relevant today as it was when he first delivered this talk.

It's worth 18 minutes of your time if you've never seen it before. I learn something new every time I watch it.

-rp-

Critical Literacies for the Information Age

How does somebody become a "savvy media consumer," wading through all the media muck to determine "the truth"? Or is the truth unattainable?

I'll explore these questions when I join three other speakers -- Richenda Hawkins, Callie Palmer and and Gary Westford -- in addressing "Critical Literacies for the Information Age" at 12:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, in the Diversity Achievement Center at LBCC.

While I try to tackle media literacy, my colleagues will examine:

• Information Literacy (Richenda Hawkins)
• The Fine Arts (Gary Westford)
• Cultural Competency (Callie Palmer)

The event, organized by Bryan Miyagishima, is part of recognizing "National Information Literacy Month." The brown bag panel discussion is hosted by the LBCC Library.

Brief opening remarks will be followed by a Q&A session for the entire panel. It runs until about 1:15 p.m.

All LBCC faculty, staff, students and others are invited to attend.

"Who should come?" Miyagishima asks, "anyone interested in how technology, society, and culture are shaping the lives and education of the LBCC community. This is meant to be an informative, engaging, and thought-provoking hour..."

And if the discussion doesn't sound inviting enough, "We're providing desserts!" Miyagishima promises.

-rp-

(Photo credit: "Information Overload" by DeaPeaJay, courtesy of Flickr.com/Creative Commons)

Harrower Leads Writing, Editing, Design Workshop

Design guy and journalism textbook author Tim Harrower is leading a workshop on newswriting, editing and news design Saturday, Nov. 14, in Wilsonville, Ore. The deadline to sign up is Friday, Oct. 30.

The daylong workshop, "Futurizing Your Newspaper," will feature sessions focusing on writing "tighter and smarter," thinking like a digital journalist, upgrading your Web site, planning bigger and better packages, and crafting stronger headlines.

Advance registration is $50 for the day, $30 for a half day (and $10 off for students). It runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Best Western Willamette Inn, 30800 S.W. Parkway Blvd., in Wilsonville, just south of Portland off of Interstate 5.

For more information or to sign up, go to http://timharrower.com/oregonworkshop.html.

-rp-

SPJ Offers Training for Journalists, Students

Journalists, both the professional and the student variety, have an outstanding opportunity to learn from other experts this Saturday, Oct. 24, at the University of Oregon.

The Oregon and Southwest Washington chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will host the third annual "Building at Better Journalist" conference in UO's School of Journalism and Communication (Allen Hall). Registration opens at 8 a.m., with the keynote talk at 9 a.m.

On the agenda are sessions on writing, mobile reporting, producing video for the Web, covering business before and after a crisis, and career-building. Speakers include reporters, editors and photojournalists from the Oregonian, Investigate West, Willamette Week, KGW Media Group, ReadWriteWeb and the New York Times.

Click here for more details...

-rp-

Facebook "Fan" Sites Drive News Views

Ben McConnell put it this way: "Facebook fan pages are the future."

He was talking specifically about marketing, networking, serving customers. I'm thinking, "Facebook fan pages are the future ... of media?"

What gets me thinking about this is the fact that the college newspaper I advise, The Commuter, attracted more than a hundred fans in less than a week. The students were surprised, having no idea that many people might care what the newspaper says or does online. What's most surprising is how fast the number of fans can expand. Naturally, you'd assume that it's because you're giving them something interesting and engaging to read and interactive with.

And that's the key. They can interact. Facebook makes it easy to "like" what you see, comment or interact with others who share your interests.

As McConnell notes:

Facebook fan pages are the future for three reasons: They're free, easy to create and build a nearly instantaneous pathway to evangelists, prospects or the curious.

When fans interact with a fan page on Facebook, that interaction is sent through the fan's news feed, which goes to all their friends, practically daring a chunk of them to see what the page is about.

Compared to Twitter, Facebook fan pages rule. You're not limited by Twitter's 140-character posts, plus it's far easier for fan page members to preview a photo, video or weblink than what Twitter offers.

The Commuter staff made a renewed commitment this summer to more fully integrate social networking into their news delivery mix, along with "thinking Web-first" in covering news and making it available ASAP to their readers and "fans."

It seems to be paying off.

-rp-